To see the impact of antiabortion violence, one need
look no further than Emily Lyons's legs. Emily, 42, was on her way to work as a
nurse at New Woman All Women Health Care clinic in Birmingham, Alabama, on January
29, 1998, when a bomb exploded a few yards in front of the entrance. The blast
killed the clinic's security guard, Robert Sanderson (who was opposed to
abortion), and severely injured Emily.
Today, Emily is nearly blind. The blast ripped the
skin off both her shins. Pink scars zigzag all over her body. Shrapnel and bits
of nails are permanently embedded inside her. So far, Emily has endured 11
operations and expects to have two more this month. Medical bills have climbed
close to $750,000. In a recent interview conducted in the living room of their
house outside Birmingham, Emily and her husband, Jeff, talked about the blast,
the alleged bomber, and the long path to recovery.
1.
What did Emily look like after the bombing?
2.
Jeff Lyons: If I hadn't known it was
Emily, I would have walked past her bed. She was burned from her right hand all
the way up to her right shoulder. Her left leg was shattered. There was blood
oozing out of her pores. And there was a piece of metal through her right eye.
She had a hole in her lower abdomen and they had to take some nails out of her
abdominal cavity.
3.
Emily Lyons: My eyelids were ripped off.
I had sutures all over my face— hundreds of them. And the explosion ruptured my
eardrum. Now I've got a roar in my ear, but at least I can hear the phone. My
left eye is gone. And my right eye has been repaired as much as it can. I'm
supposed to get a contact lens, and I'm hoping that will put me back in the
reading world again.
4.
Emily, how did you wind up working at the New
Woman All Women Health Care clinic?
5.
Emily: I was unemployed and so I was
going through the newspaper and found an advertisement for a part-time nurse.
Abortion is something I'm totally in agreement with. I've always considered
myself prochoice.
6.
What kind of response have you received since
the bombing?
7.
Jeff: I did a Web page for Emily. I think she's the
first victim of domestic terrorism to have her own Web page. Thousands of notes
came through the Internet and we still get them every day. We got e-mails from
New Zealand, London, Germany, Holland, Japan.
8.
Emily: Being so recognized has been a
360-degree turn from the way I used to be. Everyone's been commending me.
9.
Jeff: People call and they want to know
if I'm her husband. It's Emily's house and I just live in it. I used to be Jeff
and now I'm just the husband of Emily.
10.
Emily: I think it's a wonderful title.
11.
How have your children coped with this
crisis?
12.
Emily: I have two daughters. One is 14
and the other will be 18 in December. They were here during the summer . . .
[and] they had to take care of mom— cook, clean the house, take mom to the
doctor. They had to grow up a lot this year.
13.
How has Emily's life changed since the
bombing?
14.
Jeff: She goes to the doctor now instead
of going to work. She has multiple doctors' appointments every week.
15.
Emily: I don't cook anymore. I don't
clean house anymore. I don't drive anymore. I don't go out much anymore because
I can't see well. And I'm afraid of falling. It's not as enjoyable to go out.
16.
How do you feel when you hear that some
people are cheering on alleged bomber Eric Robert Rudolph, who is reportedly
hiding out in the woods of western North Carolina?
17.
Emily: Every time I hear some of those
responses, the word "moron" just jumps right out there. Just 'cause
he's one of the good ol' boys from around there— can't they see what kind of
person he is? This man is accused of murder. They could be next. If they think just
'cause they're from the same neighborhood that they're protected, they're sadly
mistaken.
18.
Do you hold antiabortion extremists who
advocate violence responsible for what happened to you?
19.
Emily: I think they're part of it.
There's the prolife protesters, then you've got your radicals. I don't think
the prolifers would have that much effect on someone if [Reverend David] Trosch
or [Michael] Bray weren't pounding it into them in the name of God.
20.
Jeff: When Rudolph was spotted [in July],
the FBI said they thought he was acting alone. But he's not completely alone,
because someone encouraged him. Someone taught him how to build a bomb. So even
if Rudolph took it upon himself to drive to Alabama that day, who created
Rudolph? Those people have to be held responsible as well.
21.
How has the bombing changed Emily?
22.
Jeff: Her hair was perfectly straight and
now it's curly.
23.
Emily: It's Perma-Blast.
24.
Jeff: Emily was raised in a religious
family . . . and the emphasis was to be seen but not heard. Emily never grew
out of it until she was blasted out of it. Now she'll stare down 50
[television] cameras.
25.
Emily: Once you've been blown up, there's
not much to intimidate you. I don't put up with crap from anyone anymore. Some
of our hate mail tells me I'm going to burn in a lake of fire. I just laugh it
off. I've been to war, gone to hell, and come back.
Research assistance: Robert Frederick
One of four articles in our The
Terrorist Campaign Against Abortion feature.
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